Google patents method to pre-load apps in background for faster response
Google has been granted a patent for a method where one app can start another app in the background before a user clicks a link. This is done by sending a signal between the apps to keep the second app ready in memory, allowing it to open instantly when needed.
In the filing’s own words
According to an aspect, a method includes executing a first application as a foreground process of an operating system of a computing device, and displaying, by the first application, content on a display of the computing device, where the content is associated with an action executable by a second application. The method includes transmitting, by the first application, an initialization request to an initialization application programming interface (API) of the second application in advance of a user action taken with respect to the content displayed on the display, where the initialization request is configured to cause the second application to be launched as a background process of the operating system of the computing device.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method for pre-launching an application using interprocess communication, the method comprising: executing a first application as a foreground process of an operating system of a computing device; displaying, by the first application, in a user interface of the first application, content associated with an action executable by a second application; transmitting, by the first application, an initialization request to an initialization application programming interface of the second application in advance of a user action taken with respect to the content displayed in the user interface, the initialization request configured to cause the second application to be launched as a background process of the operating system of the computing device; establishing, by the first application, an interprocess communication connection with the second application, wherein the interprocess communication connection causes the operating system to assign a memory priority to the background process that corresponds to a memory priority of the foreground process, wherein the memory priority assigned to the background process maintains the background process in an active state throughout a duration of the interprocess communication connection; and in response to the content being removed from the user interface, transmitting, by the first application, a termination request to the initialization application programming interface of the second application via the interprocess communication connection, the termination request configured to cause the background process that is executing the second application to be terminated.
Facts
- Company
- Google (GOOGLE LLC)
- Official title
- Pre-launching an application using interprocess communication
- Patent number
- US12737215B2
- Application number
- 18041751
- Filed
- Sep 9, 2020
- Granted
- Sep 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 19
Classified under
G06F 9/4843 Physics & computingG06F 9/4837 Physics & computingG06F 9/54 Physics & computingMore from Google in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.